After a close back-and-forth game, Ripon College came back with 22 points in the last quarter to beat the UChicago football team 36–29. The Maroons now have a record of 4–4, with a 2–2 record in the Midwest Conference.
The Maroons were down 14–0 after the first quarter, with Ripon completing runs of 53 and 41 yards in their two possessions. Ripon scored its first touchdown with a three-yard run and its second touchdown with a five-yard pass, giving them the lead going into the second quarter.
In the next two quarters of the game, UChicago scored 29 points while Ripon remained at 14. During the first drive that ended with a touchdown, fourth-year running back Chandler Carroll gained all 52 yards, including the eight-yard run into the end zone. Also in the second quarter, the defense forced three fumbles. With just over 30 seconds left in the second quarter, first-year quarterback Campbell Garrett and third-year wide receiver Andrew Falk completed a 14-yard pass for the Maroons’ second touchdown, ending the first half with a score of 14–13 in favor of Ripon.
In the first minutes of the second half, Garrett ran 22 yards down the field, followed by a 32-yard pass to first-year Riley Trettel to score another quick touchdown. Soon after, Garrett threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Carroll. Also in the third quarter, third-year kicker Mike Kurzydlowski completed a 31-yard field goal, raising the score to 29–14 leading into the last quarter.
Ripon made a huge comeback in the fourth quarter, intercepting Garrett four times out of the Maroons’ five drives, increasing the score to 29–29 with a 61-yard interception return. In the last minute of the game, the ball was returned to Ripon, who quickly made it to the end zone with passes of 25 and 26 yards, scoring the game-winning touchdown with just 23 seconds left. Ripon ended the game with a 36–29 win.
Overall, the UChicago defense played well, recovering three fumbles. Third-year safety Jeremy Vincent made an interception. Ripon had only 71 passing yards throughout the game, while UChicago ended with 253. Vincent and fourth-year Peter Casey each racked up nine tackles, while first-year Jackson Ross had 16, the most of his career.
“This weekend was a tough game for us,” second-year Dante Nepa said. “We were able to make some plays, but in the end they made a couple more than we did. While we’re bummed about the loss, there were some great bright spots from the game, like some great defensive plays by one of our captains Jeremy Vincent, and some explosive offensive plays, especially from receiver Andrew Falk, who had a huge day. Ripon is a great team and we are looking forward to correcting our mistakes this week and moving forward onto Senior Day this Saturday versus Macalester.”
